Ontario offering seniors a simpler way to renew health cards

NEWS RELEASE

GOVERNMENT
OF ONTARIO

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Ontario offering seniors a simpler way to renew health cards

McGuinty government making it easier to access government services

Ontario is now making it easier for seniors - age 80 and over - to renew their health cards from the comfort of their own homes.

The Province's new mail-in renewal service for seniors age 80 and over allows them to apply for their new cards by completing and signing the back of their renewal notices and returning them to Service Ontario in a pre-addressed envelope.

This means they won't have to wait in lines or make trips through winter weather to renew their health cards anymore - instead, they can spend more time doing the things that matter most to them while ensuring seamless access to health services.

Seniors who prefer to renew their health cards in person can still visit a Service Ontario centre.

This mail-in renewal option is part of the McGuinty government's commitment to put families first by making government services faster, friendlier and easier to access.

Quotes

"Renewing your health card in a timely fashion is even more important as we age. By allowing eligible seniors to renew their health cards by mail, we're making life just a little bit easier for Ontario's older seniors and their caregivers." - Harinder S. Takhar, minister of government services

"Our seniors have earned our utmost respect for raising families and helping make Ontario the most vibrant province in Canada. They also deserve, and will certainly appreciate, the convenience of being able to renew their health cards by mail." - Linda Jeffrey, minister responsible for seniors

Quick facts

Service Ontario delivers about 47 million customer interactions annually.

With nearly 300 Service Ontario centres across the province, 95 percent of Ontarians are within 10 kilometres of an integrated Service Ontario location and can access driver, vehicle and health card services under one roof.

Service Ontario offers nine online service guarantees, and has an over 99 percent success rate.

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